Things to consider when buying a trailer – what you need to look out for
Practical and simple – a trailer for occasional use takes away any worries about transport difficulties. Load up your goods, get into your powerful car and take your load to its destination.
But be careful: it’s not always that easy. Safety for all road users is the highest priority in public road traffic. This is why you should make no compromises when buying a trailer.
Here you’ll find the difference between unbraked and braked trailers, and the arguments in favour of the braked version.
Braked trailer – what exactly does that mean?
An unbraked trailer does not have its own brakes. This means the towing vehicle must provide the full braking force. In contrast, with a braked trailer, the towing vehicle is relieved during braking because the trailer brakes itself. How does this work? When braking, the trailer moves towards the towing vehicle; the drawbar on the overrun device is compressed, and the resulting movement and force are transferred via the transmission system to the wheel brakes so the trailer slows down. The more load and speed there is, the more braking power is applied. This is known as a load- and speed-dependent braking system.
Argument 1: Shorter braking distance, more safety
Because the wheel brakes on the trailer take on part of the braking force from the towing vehicle, a combination with a braked trailer can reduce braking distance by around 17% and the time to a complete stop by around 25%. This can save lives.
Argument 2: Make use of your car's maximum towing capacity
750 kg is the maximum permissible trailer load for unbraked trailers on a passenger car.
If you opt for a braked trailer, the registered towing capacity of your car can be fully utilised. Depending on the towing vehicle, the maximum limit for braked trailers is 3,500 kg.
Only with a braked trailer is your car’s braking system relieved.
Argument 3: Longer service life for the brakes on the towing vehicle
If the trailer brakes, you protect the brakes on the towing vehicle.
A tip for even greater safety
Thanks to the automatic brake adjustment AAA – AL-KO Automatic Adjustment for the 2051 and 2361 wheel brakes, you always have an optimally adjusted brake and up to 5 m shorter stopping distances. You also benefit from greater driving comfort because the overrun shock is always optimally absorbed and thus hardly noticeable. The AAA can be retrofitted to any axle with a bolted brake plate as an option.
The facts speak for themselves: More safety + greater comfort = A more relaxed journey with improved road safety.
